New Product Development Manager

KFC Türkiye

For KFC Turkey we are looking for "New Product Development Manager" who will be directly reporting to CMO.

Ideal candidates should have the following skills and experiences.

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related discipline.
• A minimum of 5 years experience in QSR/Food Manufacturing Industries with a proven track record in innovation and new product development. Experience in consumer insight design and market research is a plus.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English is a must.
• High level of proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
• Military services completed for male candidates.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to balance multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Strong organization, planning and multi-stakeholder project management skills.
• Ability to function effectively in a fast-paced, multi-faceted business environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively interface at all levels within the organization and outside the company.
• Define and prioritize the marketing research agenda to ensure that all research is strategic, actionable, efficient and cost effective.

Key Responsibilities:

• Identify customer and market preferences and develop new products meeting marketing goals & consumer parameters.
• Upgrade existing Core products to meet consumer & business needs. 
• Meet product development timelines as established for each project.
• Prioritize tasks in order to support multiple project timelines and stage gates effectively. 
• Leverage Industry professionals and suppliers, 3rd party consultants, governmental regulatory agencies, and regional partners to achieve project goals. 
• Manage Supplier relationships to ensure project goals and timelines are communicated and met at all times. 
• Conduct product development activities in a planned and effective manner including solid concept testing and thorough, robust execution of experiments. 
• Maintain organized and concise records of all product development activities. 
• Support transition of products from culinary through product development phase to commercialization of ingredients and successful rollout to restaurants. 
• Develop specifications for new products and ingredients ensuring accuracy and compliance with process capabilities. 
• As part of a Cross Functional team, leverage knowledge and strengths to identify opportunities to cost reduce products and improve effectiveness of processes. 
• Interface effectively with other supporting personnel/groups (QA, Operations, Brand, Supply Chain etc.) to move projects forward and to work through identified issues.